The majestic Nile River has fascinated experts and laypeople alike for centuries. Many people have asked: is the Nile the world’s longest river? To answer this, it is necessary to look at the facts and data scientist and hydrologists have gathered.
This river has been assessed in a few key ways. Generally, the length of a river is calculated in miles or kilometers. A number of other measurements also help to give an idea of the size of a river and its basin. These include discharge quantity, width and depth.
When looking at length, some believe the Nile holds the title for the world’s longest river. Egypt’s blue ribbon of golden opportunity stretches out over 4,145 miles or 6,853 kilometers. It is the longest river in Africa. However, some say that the Amazon River, located in South America, is longer. It is 4,400 miles in length or 7,000 kilometers.
Flow
The Amazon holds more water than the Nile as well. This large body of water has a 127,000 square mile (329,355 square kilometer) drainage basin. This is huge with an almost half a million square miles (1,286,000 square kilometers) in area.
It is estimated that the Amazon can carry almost seven times more water than the Nile. This is an incredible 38 million gallons per second (144,271 cubic meters per second) compared to the Nile’s 22,000 gallons per second (83,000 cubic meters per second). The water volume is even more surprising when one takes into account that the Nile River spans a much greater distance than the Amazon.
Size
When looking at the size of the two rivers’ basins, the Nile’s is much like a triangle compared to the Amazon’s circular one. This might explain why the Amazon is so much bigger.
The Nile basin has a roughly one million and five hundred thousand square mile area. Its width is two or three miles. On the other hand, the Amazon has the largest and most uniform drainage area in the world. Its maximum width is nearly four miles (6.5 kilometers).
Sources
The source of the Nile River is much more certain than the Amazon’s. The river starts in the Great Lakes region in East Central Africa. From Lake Victoria, the river continues to flow across the continent through nine countries. These are Uganda, Ethiopia, the Sudan, South Sudan, Republic of Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, and Egypt. It eventually empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
The source of the Amazon is somewhat less certain with two main possibilities, the Apacheta cliff in the Peruvian Andes and the Carara National Park in central-southern Peru. From there, it drains into a large tributary, the Amazonas River.
Impact
The Nile River has been a vital link to life for cultures for thousands of years, thanks to its plentiful flow of water. This enabled civilizations and economic activity to develop along the banks of the river. It provided food, transportation, and energy.
The Amazon also has been a life source as well as an economic engine. The extensive network of tributaries and Amazonas River have been used for centuries by local cultures for navigation and fishing. Today, it provides the basis of a huge economy from jungle-based industries such as timber extraction to tourism, fishing and scientific exploration.
Usage
The usage of these two rivers has had a great impact on the environment and the people who inhabit the areas around them. Dams, hydropower plants, shipping and irrigation are a large part of the way in which the water is utilized.
The Aswan High Dam in Egypt, for example, has caused the Nile’s water levels to rise and become more consistent year round with the help of irrigation, providing a valuable and reliable source of water for the surrounding areas.
Large-scale development in the Amazon has resulted in deforestation and other environmental issues. In the 1970’s the Amazonian rain forest was over 1.2 billion acres in size. Today much of it has been convert to agricultural land and only around 569 million acres remain.
Accessibility
For people living in the areas surrounding both rivers, accessibility to water is an essential resource. Traditional settlements such as villages and fishing communities depend on the rivers being affordable to access.
Although the Nile is navigable for large vessels almost the whole length of the river, much of the Amazon is too shallow for larger ships. Instead, smaller vessels or boats are used which are suitable for navigating the winding and often shallow tributaries in the rainforest.
Conservation
Conservation of the Nile River has become a key focus. Without successful conservation projects, the future of people and wildlife in some areas depend on the flow of the river being sustained.
Government-funded programs are attempting to reduce pollution and limit overfishing. Proposals of dredging certain parts of the Nile have been made by some groups, but these have been met with criticism. Instead, there is an emphasis on retaining the natural flow of the river and conserving it.
The Amazon faces similar conservation issues and a number of organizations are actively engaged with preserving habitats, controlling water and air pollution, fighting illegal threats and deforestation, and initiatives such as reforestation and sustainable farming.
So, is the Nile river the longest river in the world? Ultimately, we may never have a definitive answer to this. The facts, data and expert perspectives suggest that while the Amazon might have more length, width, depth and water flow, the Nile River is considered to be the longest river in the world.
Conclusion
Though whether the Nile or Amazon is the world’s longest river will continue to be contested, the importance of the conservation of both rivers for the people who depend on them for sustenance is beyond argument. With growing awareness of the impacts of human activities, attention and money is being dedicated to protecting these iconic rivers, allowing them to be a source of life and inspirations for future generations.
